My name is Jake. I am a Registered Dietitian who has personally lost about 100 pounds of fat. I became a dietitian to help people have their own success stories. This is my story!
Throughout my high school years, I worked at a fast food restaurant where I would make and eat quadruple cheese burgers with fries and a shake for my breaks more often than I would like to admit. For lunch I would go to Arby’s and get their biggest roast beef sandwich, with a large curly fry and a 44 oz mountain dew. On the days I didn’t work I would find a package of oreos or make an ice cream shake, and play lots of video games. Being sedentary and eating lots of excess calories I began to put on lots of excess pounds. With the extra weight I was gaining I became more self conscious and did not feel comfortable in my body and I did not have self confidence. With this lack of self confidence and feeling uncomfortable in my body I needed some outlet to help me feel better, which was food. It was a never ending cycle of eating for pleasure which led to displeasure which led to more eating for pleasure.
I hated stepping on the scale as a kid for obvious reasons. I remember weighing about 165 pounds for 6th grade football. In 7th grade I weighed in at around 180 lbs. I remember at some point in high school seeing 240 lbs on the scale, but I do not remember how old I was at that point.
When I started college I think I weighed around 280 pounds, but I am unsure. With the freedom that college brought I continued to gain weight. I had a meal plan at my school that allowed me to go back and get as many plates as I would like, which led to me going back for seconds and thirds frequently. I went to Utah State University, which has the best creamery in the state. In the cafeteria next to the soda fountain was a chocolate milk dispenser where I went frequently for some of the best chocolate milk in the world.
My self confidence continued to decline through my first semester of my freshman year of college. I had never been on a date at this point in my life. I felt uncomfortable in my skin and I did not like who I saw in the mirror. I had two friends who invited me to go to the gym with them. I went for about a week and then a new video game came out and I gave up with the gym. I overall really enjoyed my first semester of college but I did not feel like I was who I wanted to be.
Starting my second semester of college, right after the new year, I decided it was time to make some changes. I did not like who I was and I wanted to become someone I liked. I started going to the gym with my friends who had invited me to go with them earlier. This time I stuck with it. After going to the gym for about two maybe three weeks I stepped on the scale for the first time in a really long time. It read 293.6 pounds. The first two weeks were good, but now was the time to start making real changes.
I had tried to lose weight in the past. I would do some really restrictive diet for a day or two and give up, or start some workout program like beach body and give up after a week. This time was different. This time I made up my mind that I am becoming a new person. I started running on the treadmill before my friends got to the gym. Then I would lift weights with my friends. Along with this I started making dietary changes. I mainly just cut back on what I was eating. I stopped drinking so much chocolate milk. I stopped eating two or three plates of food at each meal. I started drinking more water.
I started getting compliments about how my face looked thinner and that I looked better. I saw the number on the scale continue to drop and I became addicted to feeling better. I continued to work hard and to lose weight. At the end of my second semester I weighed 265 lbs. Losing 30 pounds in about four months felt good, but I knew that this was still the beginning.
I had decided to serve a mission for my church where I would be gone for two years. While on my mission I lived and served in the state of Georgia. Around all the southern comfort foods, I was determined to still lose weight. I would work out longer than other people around me. I allowed myself to eat and try all types of foods. I controlled what I could. The meals I prepared for myself, and the portion sizes of the foods I was eating. I was able to still lose another 80 pounds. Making my total weight loss 110 lbs. When I returned home from my mission, I weighed around 180-185 lbs. I had lost so much weight that when I returned home after two years, my grandma and aunt did not recognize who I was at the airport.
My life had changed dramatically over the previous three years and I felt amazing. I had been able to gain a lot of self confidence, I was sleeping better, moving around easier, no longer had back pain, stopped getting charlie horses in the middle of the night, was able to be more active and feel healthier overall. I began to enjoy life more.
I started college thinking I would be an electrical engineer, but after not understanding calculus I decided I needed to find another major. I was taking an intro to nutrition class at the time. I still remember the first lesson in the first nutrition class I took. The teacher stood up in front of the class and told us that foods are not “good” and “bad”. They all have their time and place. She started off asking us to list off the bad things about blueberries. We said things like: “they stain clothes”, “they aren’t blue”, “they are low in calories” etc… Then she asked us to list off good things about oreos. We answered: “they taste good”, “they go great with milk”, “they are high in calories”, etc…
I thought this was interesting. I started to put things together. When I struggled with losing weight, when I was younger I would go on a really restrictive diet. I would cut out all “bad” foods, and I would last for a very short time, then I would eat the “bad” foods. This made me a bad person because I ate foods that were bad.
When I began to have success losing weight. I watched my portion sizes, and tried to eat what I thought was healthy, but I still allowed myself cake and ice cream. Even while eating “bad” foods I was able to lose weight. It was because I was able to have moderation in all things and control overall what I was eating. I was not overly restricting myself, which allowed myself to find success in my weight loss.
With this realization, I knew that I wanted to help others lose weight too. I did not have help from a professional. I just had determination. While I was able to do it, I know I would have been more successful with someone by my side helping me understand and better implement the things I was doing. I wanted to be that person for people who struggled with their weight like I did.
I have had times of struggle where I gained back some weight. I have also had times where I needed to lose some weight and I was able to do so. Overall, I have been able to maintain a healthy weight for about 7 years. Why do I tell you that I have gained some weight back and that I am not perfect? Because I want you to know I have been there. I understand your struggles, and I know how difficult it can be. I also know that if I can do it, so can you!
It has been said those who are successful with long term weight loss feel as though they need to create a new identity. I completely believe that this is true. To be able to lose a significant amount of weight, it is crucial that you become a newer updated version of you. I will be alongside you to help you become the new version of YOU who is able to lose weight and successfully keep it off.
